Cops: Woodbury man charged after crash, resisting arrest

Nassau police said they arrested and charged a Woodbury man Thursday after he allegedly fled the scene of a crash in Plainview and assaulted officers as they attempted to take him into custody.

Terrance Clifford, 32, was driving a 2016 Toyota sedan northbound on Manetto Hill Road at 7:35 a.m., according to the Nassau County Police Department’s Second Squad, when he struck a 2018 Mazda SUV driven by a 37-year-old woman. The impact with the Toyota led the Mazda to careen into a 2021 Dodge Ram driven by a 34-year-old male. 

Both victims sustained minor injuries but declined at the scene to be transported to a hospital, police said. 

Clifford fled on foot after the crash, traveling northeast on Washington Avenue, according to police. Officers suffered injuries as they attempted to place Clifford, who officials said was violent and combative, under arrest. The defendant and both officers were transported to a hospital for assessment and treatment. 

Clifford faces two counts of second-degree assault, resisting arrest, leaving the scene of an incident and multiple vehicle and traffic law infractions. He will be arraigned Friday in Hempstead.